ticketsMember | Make a donation

Hagar in the Wilderness

1835
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 803

This picture, shown at the Salon of 1835, is the earliest of four large, ambitious biblical paintings that Corot exhibited in the 1830s and 1840s. Like the Museum’s The Burning of Sodom, it illustrates the story of the family of Abraham. Because his wife, Sarah, was elderly and barren, Abraham fathered a son, Ishmael, with their servant, Hagar. Later, when Sarah bore her own son, Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael were driven away into the desert of Beersheba. For this painting, Corot chose the moment of their divine salvation.


The largely arid landscape is Corot’s invention, but is partially based on nature studies including the Museum’s Fontainebleau: Oak Trees at Bas-Bréau.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hagar in the Wilderness
  • Artist: Camille Corot (French, Paris 1796–1875 Paris)
  • Date: 1835
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 71 x 106 1/2 in. (180.3 x 270.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1938
  • Object Number: 38.64
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

Cover Image for 6066. Hagar in the Wilderness

6066. Hagar in the Wilderness

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Banishment of Hagar, Johann Friedrich Overbeck German, Oil on canvas
The Banishment of Hagar
Johann Friedrich Overbeck
1839–41
View of Provins, Camille Corot French, Graphite on white wove paper
View of Provins
Camille Corot
1842 or earlier
Landscape, Camille Corot French, Fixative over charcoal highlighted by erasures on tan wove paper
Landscape
Camille Corot
1855–75(?)
Gessate in the Province of Milan, Camille Corot French, Pencil on off-white wove paper
Gessate in the Province of Milan
Camille Corot
1834
Souvenir of the Villa Pamphili
Camille Corot
1871

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 7

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.